Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



A. HAMILTON.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

Patented Nov. 1S6].

WlTNESSES.

1 INVENTOR.

PETERS. PNOYO-LITKOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARNOLD HAMILTON, OF BROAD BROOK, CONN EGTIOUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-=ARM-S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,769. dated November19, 1861.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARNOLD HAMILTON, of Broad Brook, county of Hartford,and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the same isdescribed and represented in the following specification and drawings,and to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my saidimprovement, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation,referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate like partsin each of the figures.

The nature of this invention consists in the combination and arrangementof the sliding charge-chamber with the conical-shaped end of the barrel,and thelever-guard toothed sector for moving down the slide-chamber toreceive the charge, and to move it back into exact line with thebarrel-chamber, and to hold it firmly in its proper position while beingdischarged.

The object of this invention is to produce a good and safe fire-arm,that may be easily and quickly loaded with powder, patch, and ball,which will receive (by proper mechanism secured to the arm) a suitablepressure into the chamber for the purpose of producing greaterefiiciency in point of distance, accuracy, 820.

I11 the accompanying drawings, A is the barrel; B, a portion of thestock. 0 is the sliding chamber. D is a rack made on or secured thereto.E is a toothed sector. F is a lever and trigger guard. G is aspring-catch secured to the stock, for holding the guard F close to it.H is a percussion-cap nipple secured into the side of the slidingchamber 0. a shows the powder-charge, b the patch, and c the ball. whichthe powder, patch, and ball (or charge consisting of the three) arepressed into the sliding chamber 0. The slide or charge chamber C isfitted into a properly-formed breech, secured to the back end of thebarrel, so as to move closely and freely up and down therein by means ofa rack, D, (secured to the side of said chamber,) and the sector E andleverguard F. The said chamber 0 (by the action of the lever F) islowered, so as to bring its d is the rammer, by the use ofhollowcylinder into a line with the charger 1, formed in the breech just atthe under side of the barrel, and into which the charge or cartridge a bc is placed, and which is pushed into the slide-chamber O by the actionof the rammer (I, said rammer being secured in a sliding position on theunder side of the barrel and in a line with the charger I, after which,by lifting the guard-lever F up against the stock 13, and securing theend thereof by the catch G, the chamber 0, with its charge or cartridge,is brought into a directline with the chamber of the barrel, and is heldin that p0 sitionfirml y by the peculiar formation of the lever F, andits taking a firm bearing against the under side of the stock.

It is distinctly noticeable that the diameter of the slide-chamber islarger than the bore of the barrel, and that the rear end of the barrel,next to the slide -chamber, is made conical shape, so as to adapt it tothe slide-chamber. Thus it will be distinctly seen that with a slidingchamber having a larger bore than the barrel a charge or cartridgeconsisting of powder, patch, and ball may be easily and readilyintroduced into the breech 'of the gun or fire-arm, to which it may beattached,thereby securing a perfect compression of the ball to the boreand rifle of the gun or other arm, and, together with the use of apatch, is secured a greater amount of force and accuracy with the leastamount of powder.

I believe I have thus shown the mode of construction and operationthereof, so as to enable a person skilled to make and use the same.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination and arrangement of the sliding charge-chamber O with theconicalshaped chamber of the barrel A (at its breech) and thelever-toothed sector F E, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of June,1861.

ARNOLD HAMILTON.

\Vitnesses:

E. W. FOWLER, JEREMY IV. BLIss.

